THE OLDEST MEDICINE
Medical historians believe cannabis is the oldest medicine on earth. Over 5,000 years ago cannabis was used in Chinese medicine as documented in the Chinese Pharmacopeia. It migrated west from Asia and by the 10th century it was being used in Greek and Islamic medicine. In the 15th and 16th centuries medical use spread to Africa and eventually to Europe and the United States in the 19th century.
U.S. HISTORY OF MEDICAL CANNABIS
In the United States from 1850 to 1937, cannabis was widely used to treat more than 100 separate illnesses or diseases as noted in the U.S Pharmacopoeia. Millions of prescriptions were written for cannabis and were produced by major pharmaceutical companies.
CANNABIS BECOMES ILLEGAL
It is believed that cannabis became the new target of Harry Anslinger, head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, after alcohol prohibition had ended. He needed a new illegal substance in order to secure his job. It is believed he along with William R. Hearst led the scare campaign to demonize the hemp industry referring to it as “marihuana.” Unknown to the public, it was the same substance used in many pharmaceutical products sitting in American’s medicine cabinet.
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 adopted the “prohibition through taxation” scheme. Congress could not make cannabis illegal but they could tax it. It was passed easily despite testimony from farmers and the medical community who complained cannabis had been in the US pharmacopoeia since 1850. The taxes were set prohibitively high creating a de facto prohibition. Then in 1970 cannabis (marijuana and hemp) was put on SCHEDULE 1 (CLASS I) by the US Drug Policy making it illegal.
Due to the legislation banning the use of cannabis and the resulting stigma associated with its recreational use, 3 generations of Americans were denied the benefits of the “oldest medicine on earth.”
CANNABIS BECOMES ILLEGAL
It is believed that cannabis became the new target of Harry Anslinger, head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, after alcohol prohibition had ended. He needed a new illegal substance in order to secure his job. It is believed he along with William R. Hearst led the scare campaign to demonize the hemp industry referring to it as “marihuana.” Unknown to the public, it was the same substance used in many pharmaceutical products sitting in American’s medicine cabinet.
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 adopted the “prohibition through taxation” scheme. Congress could not make cannabis illegal but they could tax it. It was passed easily despite testimony from farmers and the medical community who complained cannabis had been in the US pharmacopoeia since 1850. The taxes were set prohibitively high creating a de facto prohibition. Then in 1970 cannabis (marijuana and hemp) was put on SCHEDULE 1 (CLASS I) by the US Drug Policy making it illegal.
Due to the legislation banning the use of cannabis and the resulting stigma associated with its recreational use, 3 generations of Americans were denied the benefits of the “oldest medicine on earth.”
HEMP PROHIBITION ENDS
In 2014 President Obama signed the 2014 Farm Bill authorizing hemp research and pilot programs. Through this bill and the legalization of medical cannabis in 31 states, Americans had the chance to try cannabinoids as an alternative medicine. When the 2018 Farm Bill was approved by congress and signed into law, hemp and hemp products like CBD became federally legal again and soon all 50 states approved growing hemp and the manufacturing and distributing of hemp products.
THE FATHER OF MEDICINAL CANNABIS
Meet Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, an organic chemist and professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He viewed cannabis under the same lens as any other substance worthy of scientific study and began research of the cannabis plant in 1964. He and his research group succeeded in the total synthesis of the major plant cannabinoids Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Another of his research projects led to the historical discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). Since he approached his research as a scientist resisting any societal prejudices, it allowed him to make major breakthroughs, providing us with information we now consider to be the basis for cannabinoids-as-medicine.
CLINICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF CANNABINOIDS
Over the past three decades, there has been an explosion of international research on the therapeutic applications of cannabis and cannabinoids. Scientific teams in Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Israel, and elsewhere have confirmed the medical value of cannabis for treating a wide variety of conditions.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., restrictions on cannabis research have resulted in very few clinical trials conducted domestically. With the legalization of medical marijuana and hemp, we anticipate Americans will benefit from a research explosion of medical cannabis. The current challenge is to conduct controlled human clinical trials that can establish protocols for cannabis-based treatments of specific medical conditions.
HEMP PROHIBITION IS OVER
On December 10, 2018, the 2018 Farm Bill House/Senate Conference Committee released its Conference Report. Hemp is discussed in only a few pages but the impact is monumental. Hemp is now permanently removed from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and no longer mistaken as a controlled substance, like marijuana. By redefining hemp to include its “extracts, cannabinoids and derivatives,” Congress explicitly has removed popular hemp products, such as hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD), from the purview of the CSA. President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law on December 20, 2018.
BUYER BEWARE
Many companies use imported CBD oil from unregulated farms and manufacturers. Because the hemp plant easily absorbs contaminants in the soil, the hemp plant and its oil will contain toxic elements. Protect your health by insisting on third-party lab reports.